by Tina Saxon
“Is she hot?” Max chimes in.
“Does it matter?” I say, looking over to him. I see Aiden nodding his head out of the corner of my eyes. I turn toward him, narrowing my gaze, and playfully hit him. He laughs, holding his hands in the air.
“She is, but you might have to fight Damon over her,” Aiden says. I get up to sit in my own chair.
“Well, we know who would win that match.” Max chuckles as he brings his beer to his lips. My eyebrows rise as I look at Max. This is a story I want to hear. “I kicked his ass while we were at Quantico. Of course, his version is a little skewed when you ask him about it.” Max holds up his thumb and index finger while they both laugh out loud.
“But y’all are friends, right?” I’m sure that Aiden had mentioned Damon jumping with him.
“Oh, yeah. He’s like a brother, too. Joking aside, I’d never try and take a girl Damon is with. Not my style,” he says.
“Well, Syd and Damon aren’t together so this isn’t even an issue.” I shrug. “She doesn’t even live here.”
“Well, whenever Sydney comes into town, bring her and we’ll jump.” He smiles and winks at me.
Max looks over to Aiden. “So, you ready to come work with me?”
Aiden’s smile widens. “You had to ask, didn’t you?” He chuckles.
“You know, one day I’m going to get you to change your mind.” Max gives him a pointed look. At first I don’t know if he’s kidding, but now I know he’s not. Would he seriously think about moving? My gaze switches from Max to Aiden, my eyes widening. Worry starts to build in my chest. Dammit, I just admitted that I loved him and now he might leave. What that hell?
“Calm down, Annie Oakley.” Both guys laugh. My mouth gapes open. I can’t believe he called me that. I can’t believe they even know who that is. “He can work from anywhere.”
Blush creeps into my cheeks. Aiden reaches over, grabs my chair, and pulls it closer to him. He leans over and whispers in my ear, “I’m not going anywhere. But I love that you were worried.” Closing my eyes, I inhale his scent. I have to grip my chair so I don’t melt into him. When I open my eyes, I catch a glimpse of Max observing our interaction. He warmly smiles at me and nods. I pull back out of Aiden’s grasp, sitting back in my chair, relieved. He takes my hand, intertwining our fingers before he relaxes back in his chair.
I narrow my eyes at Max, tilting my head and say, “So, how do you know who Annie Oakley is?” Max grins but doesn’t answer. “I remember doing a paper on her when I was in high school. She was my hero,” I murmur.
“I am not surprised,” Max says. “Next time you come out, let’s go shoot. I want to see if you’re really as good as Aiden says.”
“Definitely.” My face beams. Yep, Max is my new best friend.
“Well, we need to get going so we can get there before dark,” Aiden says, standing up and pulling me with him. Before I can even ask where there is, Max stands up and gives Aiden a hug then tugs me into a tight embrace.
He leans down and whispers in my ear, “You’re good for him.” He gives me a peck on the cheek.
Aiden’s arm wraps around my waist and pulls me into his hard chest. “Stop whispering sweet nothings and kissing my girlfriend,” he rasps out. Max’s laugh booms loudly.
“I was just telling her that I’m best man at the wedding.” His smile spreads across his face as my eyes bulge out. Where the hell did that come from? I turn to look at Aiden, and he’s smiling, wagging his eyebrows at me. Okay… we need to leave. It just got warm in here. A little too warm and uncomfortable for me.
“So, we need to leave, right?” I say quickly, grabbing my purse. Both guys are now laughing. I don’t even wait for them to compose themselves, I walk quickly toward the exit. When I get to the car, the boys have caught up to me. Aiden opens my door. As I’m stepping in, Max yells out from his car, “And the first son’s name is Maximus.”
Oh, my God. I’m rethinking Max’s best friend status. I shake my head, closing the door. My heart is beating so fast that I think I might be having an anxiety attack. I lean back in the seat and breathe in and out slowly, trying to calm myself. Aiden gets in and I can feel his eyes on me, but I can’t look at him yet.
I feel his hand grab mine. “Sweetheart, you okay over there?” I hear humor in his voice. I blow out one last heavy breath before I look over to him.
I narrow my eyes. “Why aren’t you more freaked out? It’s not like we’ve been together very long? And coming from someone who has always run away from relationships, I would think even mentioning marriage and babies would make you sweat.” Hell, it’s making me sweat.
He shrugs. “Addison, I can’t explain how you make me feel because this is all foreign to me. Since I met you, I don’t know which fucking way is up or down. My life has always been pointed in one direction: straight ahead. But now I feel… lost.” He squeezes my hand. “But I want to get lost with you.” If he knew that Travis Stein would be his father-in-law, he might feel a little differently. I start to panic and try to pull my hand from his, but he holds it tighter. “We don’t need to rush this. We’ll let it play out however it does.” He brings my hand to his lips.
I nod. I look away and watch the scenery pass by in a blur as we drive again. Reality sets in. What the heck am I doing? I do want more. Which scares the hell out of me. I’ve never felt this way about someone else, and I do love Aiden. I just don’t know if it’s realistic for him to accept Travis as my father. Sperm donor. Syd’s words echo in my head. I want to believe he’ll be okay with it, but every time I start to bring it up, I chicken out. I run my hand through my hair and let out a sigh. I’m a chicken shit.
“I’m sorry, Addison.” I turn toward Aiden, who peers at me with a look of uneasiness.
I shake my head. “It’s okay. I’m okay. It just caught me off guard,” I say softly.
“I’ll kick Max’s ass next time I see him.” His lips curl.
“So, where are you taking me?” I need a change of subject.
He offers a knowing smile. “Well… I’m taking you to my house.”
My eyebrows rise and I turn my body to face Aiden, putting one leg under the other. “What?” I say. “Your house?”
He drums his fingers against the steering wheel and glances over at me. His beautiful green eyes gleam. My heart melts at his excitement about this house. It’s must really be important to him.
“I bought a house in New Haven when I was in college. A fixer-upper. A few guys from college and I would go there one weekend every month and fix something in it.” He smiles wide. “It was like our getaway from school. We’d work on it during the day and party all night.”
“Wow. It was like your own little fraternity,” I joke.
He laughs loudly. “Something like that.”
“Well, it sounds amazing. I can’t wait to see it.”
Chapter Forty-five
THE HOUSE IS beautiful. It’s a one-story, craftsman-style home, painted gray with white trim. When I get out of the car, the smell of salt water and humidity hits my senses. When we walk into the house, it’s obvious that the entire house has been updated. I’m impressed. The guys did an amazing job. The entire house has tile that looks like dark wood. There are area rugs, which kind of shocks me. The farther we walk into the house; I’m met with the most spectacular view. With the kitchen on my left and the living room on my right, floor-to-ceiling windows overlook a pool with the Atlantic Ocean in the background.
“That’s breathtaking,” I whisper, looking out the windows. Aiden comes up behind me and wraps his arms around me.
“Almost as breathtaking as you,” he whispers back into my ear.
“Shut up,” I say, blushing, as I turn in his arms. Stepping out of his hold, I look around the rooms. They’re beautifully decorated. The kitchen has dark cabinets with white granite. Very clean lines. The living room has pillows, rugs, and artwork. A pang of jealousy shoots through me. A man definitely didn’t decorate this house. I look at Aiden
with a curious lifted brow. “Um… I’ve seen your apartment, so I know you didn’t decorate this place,” I say, trying to sound nonchalant.
He laughs. “Sweetheart, you can’t hide your jealousy from me.” He smirks as he grabs my hand. “I hired an interior designer. This is actually the first I’ve seen it set up,” he says, looking around the room.
“It’s stunning. They did an amazing job.” I walk around, taking it all in. Aiden takes me on the grand tour, showing me all three bedrooms. Whoever decorated it, I would love for them to decorate my next house.
“Pizza and beer by the pool tonight?” he asks as we make it back to the kitchen. I nod as I pull out a barstool from under the island to sit. I think about the day I’ve had with this perfect man. Thoughts about Travis slowly creep up, but I push them back down. I don’t want to think about that right now. I will give Aiden all of me, even if it’s just for this weekend.
* * *
We’re relaxing by the pool on a doublewide lounger listening to the ocean waves crash against the shore. Can’t we just stay here forever? Aiden’s holding my hand, mindlessly rubbing his thumb against my knuckles. His phone starts playing “We Are Family” by Sister Sledge. I bust out laughing as he lunges for the phone quickly.
“Hey, Katie.” I’m assuming by the ringtone, it’s his sister. While he listens to her, he watches me. “No, you weren’t interrupting anything.” He smiles and winks.
I mouth, “Nice ringtone.” He rolls his eyes and mouths back, “It’s her fault.”
“Yes, she’s right here. Remind me to kick Max’s ass next time I see him.” He laughs at her response. Watching him talk to her, I can see how much his sister means to him; his eyes lit up as soon as he answered. “I promise you’ll meet her soon.” My eyebrows shoot up and he nods at me. “Sounds good. I’ll talk to you soon. Love you, too.” He presses end and turns to me.
“So, I guess I’m meeting your sister soon?” I question.
“Yes. She doesn’t believe you’re real. I guess Max called her and told her all about you. She thinks he’s lying. She has to see it to believe it because she doesn’t believe in mythical creatures.” He chuckles using air quotes.
“Wow. So I caught the uncatchable, huh?” I tease, poking him in the chest.
“No, I’m pretty sure I caught you.” He lets out a booming laugh. He grabs me and lifts me up like I weigh nothing. I don’t even have time to question what he’s doing before he jumps in the pool with me in his arms. I scream as I’m pulled under water.
After Aiden shows me how much fun pool sex can be, we go back to lying on the lounge chair. “I’m running inside to go to the bathroom. Do you want me to grab you a beer on the way out?” I roll over on my side, gliding my finger down his ripped stomach. He grabs my finger and sticks it in his mouth, sucking on it. This man is insatiable.
“What did I do before I had you?” He smirks as I pull my finger out.
“Oh, I’m sure you had someone to help you out,” I tease, getting up off the lounger. He swats my ass before I can get out of his reach.
“I don’t remember anyone but you, sweetheart,” I hear him say as I’m walking away. I laugh at his corny statement. A few minutes later, I’m grabbing the beers out of the kitchen refrigerator and I hear the front door open.
“Aiden, babe! Where are you?” a woman’s voice calls out. I round the corner to see who the hell just walked into Aiden’s house. “Who the fuck are you?” she barks out with her hand on her hip as soon as she sees me.
Really? Who am I?
“I think that should be my question, not yours, seeing as you just walked into a house that you don’t belong in,” I reply, trying to stay calm since I’m not sure who she is yet. She’s a beautiful woman with dark hair, maybe a little shorter than me, but skinny with fake boobs. I can tell she’s older than me.
“Bitch, this is my boyfriend’s house. So, I’ll ask again, who are you?” she screeches while she looks me up and down. Wait… What? So much for calm.
“If you call me a bitch again, I’m going to–”
“Addison, what’s taking so long?” We both whip our heads toward Aiden as he walks through the back door. He looks at the girl and then quickly to me. I tilt my head, twisting my lips, waiting for an explanation.
He walks and stands by my side. His lack of surprise by this woman inside his house has me darting my gaze between the two. My mouth goes dry thinking maybe what she said was true. “Aiden!” the girl happily screams as she rushes to him. He stops her right before she jumps into his arms.
“Jessie,” he hesitates, looking at me before turning back to her. “What are you doing here?” So this is the Jessie who Max was talking about. I’m waiting for him to explain who she is before I decide what to do next. Kick her ass or his.
“Aiden, who is she?” Jessie snidely asks, pointing to me.
“Jessie, this is Addison. She’s my girlfriend.” My heart flutters momentarily until Jessie decides to spew some words again.
“Excuse me?” she seethes, her tone deepening. She now has both her hands on her hips. “What the hell did you just say? You brought a whore to our house?”
“Whoa! Jessie, what the hell?” Aiden’s brows furrow.
Yep. That’s it. “Aiden, can you please hold these beers for me?” I ask calmly.
“Nope,” he replies. “Uh-uh, that is definitely not a good idea,” he says with amusement lighting his voice. I whip my head in his direction, wondering what the hell he thinks is so funny. I’m squeezing the bottles so hard, I’m surprised they aren’t breaking. “Sweetheart, I’ll take care of this.” He tries to hide his smile, placing his hand on my arm. He gently rubs his thumb on me. I let out an exasperated sigh.
“I’ve been nice up to this point. She calls me another name, I’m going to do something about it.” I glare at him so he knows that I am not kidding. He nods.
“Jessie.” He looks toward her, taking a step between us.
Like that’ll stop me. I roll my eyes.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but this is my house,” he says in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Your house!” she shrills. “Look around, Aiden, I’ve made this a home for us. I told you that I’d wait for you, take care of our house while you were gone.” She throws her hands out. “Did you already forget whose name you were calling out the night you left?” She looks at me with a cocked eyebrow, her voice taunting. Aiden looks to me with a pained look, shaking his head.
Bitch, it’s on. I walk to the counter and place the beers down. When I spin around, Aiden is already behind me. “Addison,” he begs, grabbing my waist with his hands. I clench my jaw and reluctantly nod my head. I want to walk outside, but I need to hear this story. I need to know who she is to Aiden. He’s told me he’s never been in love, but this woman was either lied to or she’s short a few screws. I’m leaning toward the latter right now.
He turns slowly. He crosses his arms, planting his feet wide. “Jessie, you are an interior designer that I hired to decorate this house. I have always been upfront about what we were doing. Never have I given you any reason to think that we were together.” Aiden’s restraint is slipping. “It’s been two-and-a-half fucking years, Jessie!” he roars, aggressively running his hands through his hair.
“Aiden, baby, I’m sorry,” she says, walking up to him. “I forgive you. I love you. We’ll get through this. Just take her back to wherever she came from.” She reaches out to put her hands on his chest. I gasp. My eyes go wide in shock. He grabs her hands.
Definitely a few screws lose.
“Jessie, you need to leave.” His words come out harsh. He turns her around and guides her to the door.
I’ve heard enough, so I grab the beers and walk out to the pool. I recline on the lounger. I don’t have any doubt that Aiden is telling the truth. I watch him walk out the back door. He’s still running his hands through his hair, his expression serious. I feel bad for him, but I’m still too upset to comfo
rt him. He comes over and lies down beside me, rolling onto his side, resting his head on his hand.
“I’m sorry, Addison.” His voice sounds strangled. I roll over so we’re facing each other. He takes his other hand and brushes loose pieces of hair behind my ear. “Are you mad?” he asks, looking down.
I take a deep breath, exhaling quickly. “I’m upset you didn’t warn me about a psycho ex-girlfriend,” I say sarcastically.
He shakes his head. “She is not an ex-girlfriend,” he says in a thick voice.
“An ex-fuck then. So exactly how long was this arrangement?” He winces.
He rolls onto his back, bringing his arms behind his head, staring up to the sky. “I met Jessie the second year I moved in, so eight or nine years ago. She’s from here. I already told you about how the guys and myself would come here to fix up the house and have parties. The local girls would all come over and party with us. Jessie and I would hook up whenever I was here,” he explains. He rolls back over, facing me. “But I always told her that I didn’t want anything serious. She agreed. I mean, hell, I don’t even live here. I don’t know when her expectations changed, but when I left, I definitely didn’t promise her anything.” He cups my neck. “Addison, please say you believe me.”
I sigh. “I believe you.” He pulls me in for a kiss, but I pull back, “What the hell did you think was so funny when I was about to kick her ass?”
He chuckles. “Mmm… I love when you get feisty. When you get mad, it’s seriously sexy.” He wags his eyebrows. I laugh, shaking my head. Forcing me down to his lips, he kisses me softly, “I love you. Only you.” His low, sexy voice causes my body to tremble. He rolls me on top of him. I can feel his arousal on my stomach.
“Good. But if she shows up with a baby claiming it’s yours, I’m going to kick her ass.” I smirk as I thread my fingers through his hair.
“Don’t fucking say that,” he says, his voice turning serious. “That isn’t even funny.”
“I’m just saying, I wouldn’t put it past her. She’s seems a little unhinged,” I explain. If he thinks she’s just going to go back into the hole she crawled out of, he doesn’t understand women. I just hope we’re gone by the time she thinks of her next move. Now that I know about her, I’ll be keeping my eyes open and my gun close by.
